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While I was in New York City this weekend my boyfriend and I couldn’t resist trying out a few new restaurants. We were staying at a friend’s place on 79th st between Park Ave and Lexington Ave. When we woke up after a long night of concerts, we didn’t want to go far for breakfast, but we needed something hearty and delicious. We found that at Sojourn- a new American restaurant with “globally influenced dishes.” The restaurant is located at 244 E79th street.

The Hangover Cure

Their brunch menu was fantastic and pretty unique, which can be hard to find when it comes to breakfast foods. My boyfriend ordered the “Hangover Cure” which consisted of chorizo hash, spinach, three eggs over easy, and hollandaise tomatillo jalapeno sauce. According to him it was, “f*#@%&# phenomenal.”

I ordered the “Creamy Truffle Polenta” and oh my god. It’s exactly what it sounds like, but with a sunny side up egg on top. I took one bite and practically melted. I love truffle and I love polenta, so I knew it would be to my liking, but this was something else. It was so pleasing to my taste buds. The only downside was that it was really rich, so I had to order some bread to neutralize it a bit.

Creamy Truffle Polenta

The interior of the restaurant was sophisticated, but cozy. They have a nice wooden bar at the entrance and the rest of the restaurant had dark wood and red tones. It sounds pretty dull, but it was actually really pleasant. Their drink menu looked awesome too, but we didn’t try any so I can’t comment on that.

Overall, Sojourn is a great addition to the New York City restaurant scene and is located in a great neighborhood. I’m sure they’ll see some pretty loyal customers over the years. Fantastic food!

have heard about this already, but after Friday’s serious rain showers the place was a complete mud pit. I’m talking 5 inches of thick, goopy, smelly mud. It was like quick sand or something– so many lost shoes, sunglasses, and even a few iPhones. The mud was so thick it ripped my friend’s shoe in half! He lifted his foot and half his shoe came up and half stayed in the mud, forever to be lost.

However, if you think some mud ruined an entire music festival full of great bands and awesome people, you are mistaken. The weekend was EPIC. Funnel cake, falafel, cheese fries, milk shakes, beer, shandies, soft pretzels, corn dogs, and more. The food selection was out of this world. The food trucks were so popular, many of them ran out of food. They kept all types of people in mind too– I was very happy when I found the vegetarian booth. Any type of food you wanted, you could find. There was even an arancini truck (arancini balls are basically fried risotto balls with different types of things added).

The lineup was great as well. I personally saw Dillon Francis, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Thievory Corporation, The Lumineers, Naz, Kendrick Lamar, Bloc Party, Beirut, Kanye West, and a couple of others. Guns N’ Roses was a big name that I didn’t get the chance to see, but from what I heard they put on a killer performance. Kings of Leon were also incredible. Unfortunately, Pretty Lights didn’t get to play due to the weather and then they had to take off for Baltimore, but since they come to Boston every Fall, I’m sure I’ll get to see them soon.

Sunset at Governor’s Ball

When it comes down to it though, my favorite part of the festival was the attitude of the crowd. I saw very few people complaining about the mud, and many people just embracing it. People walked around bare foot just digging their toes in and accepting what it was. As difficult as it was to get around at times, the mud kept us all laughing and light-hearted. The event planning could have been a bit better, but it was a weekend full of friends, music, beer, and laughter. What more could you ask for?

If you haven’t been to a music festival, you should go some day. I didn’t think I would enjoy it at all, but even in the conditions we had, I had a great time!

Maine is so underrated. SO underrated. Everyone around here flocks to Newport, Cape Cod, Block Island, the Hamptons, all those places. I’m not saying those places aren’t beautiful and great vacation spots. However, $– enough said.

Maine, though a bit more of a drive, is just as beautiful and has a more diverse environment. There are the rocky coastline cliff walks, beautiful soft sandy beaches, those touristy beach towns we all hate to admit we love, incredible national parks, the Eastern Trail which runs through the entire state, whale watching, fantastic hiking, great lobster (duh), and way more.

My parents bought a small vacation house near Kennebunk port (a little outside of it for privacy reasons). At first, I said “Really? Maine?” But now it’s my new favorite place. As cold as the water is, the beaches are so nice and depending on where you go, they are a lot more spacious than overcrowded Cape Cod beaches. Also, the hiking is really scenic. It’s the kind of place where you lose yourself in nature.

When I got up there last week I was shocked by how much clearer the air is compared to Boston. I could really breathe. People were more relaxed, the food was tastier than many of the high class restaraunts I’ve been trying in Boston, and the atmosphere was pure and calm. I really needed the peace Maine brought me.

So for real, if you want to go on a great vacation with the family, your significant other, or even alone, consider Maine. It’s everything you could want in a summer vacation without the Martha’s Vineyard price. Again, not putting down Martha’s Vineyard…if I could, I would.

Check out some of my pictures from my trip last week, they just might convince you 🙂 Also feel free to follow me on instagram: samrushh

The Portland Lighthouse in Maine. It’s actually the most photographed lighthouse ever.

The dense woods right outside of Portland, Maine. You could really lose yourself in the nature.

An incredible sunrise on the beach in Kennebunk, Maine.

A shipwreck site on the coast near Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Sad, but cool.

I live in Boston, and yesterday was awful. Marathon Monday is a day we wait alllll year for at Boston University. We celebrate all day long and the weather is always magically perfect out of nowhere. However, yesterday it might as well have been storming. The sadness, fear, and confusion that surrounded us on a day of celebration was heart breaking. While we’re all grateful the damage wasn’t more extensive, we still mourn the loss of innocent bystanders.

There is something positive to see from this whole ordeal. The sense of community and love that came about yesterday was overwhelming. Everyone was texting each other to make sure friends and family were safe. I felt so at home and the love I felt for Boston yesterday was stronger than any other day. Out of darkness, comes some light.

Last night my boyfriend took me to Upstairs On The Square. It’s a fascinating restaurant in Harvard Square (in Cambridge, MA). All I can say is…phenomenal. We scraped our plates clean and didn’t leave a single drop of sauce. Our waitress showed our plates to the chef. Really, she did.

The theme of the restaurant is “party in a box”. The windows in the room we ate in were round, the walls were pink plaid, the booths were crazy shapes. The floors were cheetah print carpet and the stairs were pink and purple. It was Alice in Wonderland-esque. But then, there was the food.

My Honey Ravioli

I ordered Honey Ravioli as my entrée and my boyfriend ordered the steak. Both were out of this world. Honey ravioli is something I would never think to order, but I’m so glad I did. A deliciously sweet dish that was just one giant ravioli! I’m craving it as I type this.

We ended the meal with their ice cream– vanilla, malted chocolate, and dulce de leche. Also, amazingly delicious. The servers were so kind, the food was SWEEEEET, and the atmosphere was so different. All in all the entire experience was perfect. I highly recommend checking this place out if you are ever in Boston.

We were in the upstairs Soiree Dining Room, but for a less expensive, more relaxed atmosphere, they have a downstairs area called the Monday Club Bar. The menu is different, but I’m sure just as incredible.